>https://x.com/MargoMartin47/status/1951460167528460705
Kamala quitting politics
https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1951139181855416667
Educating Los Angeles residents of their leaders
https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1951100570632384808
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Trump administration is prepared to restrict funds to entities that use diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices
“Entities receiving federal funds, like all other entities subject to federal antidiscrimination laws, must ensure that their programs and activities comply with federal law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics — no matter the program’s labels, objectives, or intentions,” Bondi wrote in the Tuesday memo.
The attorney general listed race-based scholarships, hiring for “underrepresented groups,” and creating “safe spaces” as among the prohibited practices.
The memo also gives a number of targeted examples of what the administration considers to be an unlawful use of diversity programs, arguing they violate civil rights laws designed to protect from discrimination based on race, sex, religion and other characteristics.
In February, Bondi issued a similar memo saying the Trump administration was prepared to bring civil rights cases against private companies for using of DEI.
The latest push comes as the Trump administration has taken a number of moves to target universities and cites a number of examples largely specific to college settings.
The Justice Department specifically highlights scholarship programs, saying they “must not target ‘underserved geographic areas’ or ‘first-generation students’ if the criteria are chosen to increase participation by specific racial or sex-based groups. Instead, use universally applicable criteria, such as academic merit or financial hardship.”
Beyond measures directly designed to promote diversity, the memo said entities should guard against activities that could be a “proxy” for DEI.
Among the list of things the administration says should be restricted are asking job applicants to “demonstrate ‘cultural competence,’ ‘lived experience,’ or ‘cross-cultural skills’ in ways that effectively evaluate candidates’ racial or ethnic backgrounds rather than objective qualifications.”
Also listed are any questions that ask people to “describe ‘obstacles they have overcome’ or submit a ‘diversity statement.’”
While the memo also advises against programs that elevate women, it said exceptions must be upheld for athletic settings, specifically targeting transgender athletes.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5430267-doj-memo-funding-recipients-dei/amp/
New Zealand allows offshore gas and oil exploration again after six-year ban
New Zealand lifts its 2018 ban on offshore gas and oil exploration, aiming to boost energy security and attract new investment in the sector.
The New Zealand Parliament has voted to lift the ban on offshore gas and oil exploration, a measure imposed in 2018 by the former government led by Jacinda Ardern. The decision once again opens maritime territory to oil and gas exploration as the sector faces growing tensions over the country’s energy supply. The bill was approved by 68 votes to 54 in a context of intense debate on the national energy future.
An economic choice amid winter energy risks
The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Shane Jones, presented the new legislation as a necessary response to the fragility of energy supply, citing increased blackout risks highlighted by state-owned company Transpower. He stated that the previous ban led to a fall in investment in the gas sector and worsened supply challenges, especially during winter peaks. According to him, “the 2018 exploration ban, which was a failure, exacerbated shortages in our national gas supply by destroying new investment”.
New Zealand has seen energy prices rise by over 10% since the introduction of this ban, even as national electricity consumption has decreased. Solar and wind energy production capacities are increasing, but the pace is considered insufficient by sector actors to offset the decline in domestic gas supply.
Political reactions and long-term perspectives
All opposition parties voted against the law, with several representatives expressing strong criticism of the new direction. Steve Abel, a member of the Green Party, condemned the move as a step backwards and an “archaic” choice, recalling that New Zealand had gained international recognition for its climate commitment after the ban was introduced. The government indicated that the time lag between exploration authorisation and the arrival of new volumes of gas or oil could reach a decade.
In 2018, Shane Jones himself was in the government that enacted the ban, but he now supports a reorientation aimed at maintaining national economic competitiveness and security. According to Transpower, the country’s energy needs are expected to continue rising, while renewable infrastructure does not yet meet demand during seasonal peaks.
An environmental image challenged by energy reality
The decision by Parliament marks a turning point for a country long regarded as a model for environmental protection. Since the end of Jacinda Ardern’s term, the energy landscape has been marked by grid tensions and the government’s drive to attract new investors to restart exploration. The prospect of reviving offshore exploration is accompanied by uncertainties over long-term sectoral impacts, as the transition to renewable energy remains slow.
The government is counting on the new legislation to spark operator interest, hoping to strengthen supply security and price stability in the coming years.
https://energynews.pro/en/new-zealand-allows-offshore-gas-and-oil-exploration-again-after-six-year-ban/
Trump sets up Presidential Fitness Test for another revamp after Obama retired it during presidency
President Donald Trump ordered the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition to make improvements.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to revive the Presidential Fitness Test and reestablish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, aiming to combat childhood obesity and promote youth health. The original test dates back to the 1950s under President Eisenhower, with later expansions by Kennedy and Johnson. It once measured physical performance through activities like sit-ups, pull-ups, and running, but was retired in 2013 by President Obama in favor of the more holistic FitnessGram program.
Trump’s initiative seeks to bring back the test with modern updates, reward excellence in physical education, and promote active lifestyles through school programs and national campaigns. LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau was named chair of the council, joined by athletes like Nick Bosa, Saquon Barkley, and Tua Tagovailoa. The council is tasked with setting bold fitness goals, expanding sports participation, and addressing the national security risks posed by rising childhood obesity and sedentary habits.
Trump called it “a wonderful tradition” and emphasized its potential to “change the fabric of kids’ lives.”
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-sets-up-presidential-fitness-test-another-revamp-after-obama-retired-during-presidency
Fortunate Kiwis: The disastrous Leftie legacy of Jacinda Ardern is being swiftly erased
It is hard to think of a political leader who has had their legacy so fundamentally dismantled by their immediate successors than former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The successful passage this week of legislation to undo her ban on off-shore oil and gas exploration is the most recent example of her well-meaning but often economically illiterate policy agenda being undone by her conservative successor, former businessman Chris Luxon.
Ardern came into office somewhat unexpectedly, finishing a distinct second in 2017 but, thanks to New Zealand’s proportional voting system, was able to form a government that stretched from the far-left Green Party to the populist-right New Zealand First. Her agenda seemed to, like Justin Trudeau in Canada, follow whatever the current right-thinking mindset thought was important, including anti-car legislation (such as the ‘Ute Tax’ and significantly lower nationwide speed limits), radical race relations policies (particularly around so-called co-governance, giving Maori a disproportionate role in government decision making and entrenching race-based constituencies at every level) and climate alarmism.
There are certainly plenty of examples of well-meaning but economically or socially harmful policies. A major light rail infrastructure project that after five years had created more paperwork than track laid. A child poverty action plan that had 4,500 more children in poverty at the end of her time in Government than at the start. A crime policy that repealed the previous conservative government’s “Three Strikes” law that resulted in higher (and rising) violent crime rates at the end of Labour’s time in office. A foolhardy approach to public finances which an economist at New Zealand’s largest bank called a “debt-fuelled spending spree” that was projected by the Government’s own figures to result in a permanent structural deficit.
Ardern’s announcement of her resignation in 2023 came as a shock to many, but probably should not have done. Her leadership had become unpopular, and the Labour Party was struggling to break 30 per cent in polling, comparable to the level of polling Labour was at when she replaced her predecessor in 2017.
And it did not take long for her party to start undoing her agenda in an attempt to appeal to the voters in advance of the General Election held later that year. Controversial schemes around water regulation and management (always a touchstone issue in a country with a major agricultural sector), welfare reform, lowering the voting age and hate speech legislation were either shelved or put on the back burner until after the General Election. Her replacement, Chris Hipkins, said his plan was instead to focus on the “bread and butter issues facing New Zealand families”. While nothing overt was said, the implicit comparison with the focus of his predecessor as Labour leader and Prime Minister could not have been stronger.
Despite Labour’s best efforts (and deliberately keeping Ardern out of the campaign), Labour went down to a devastating defeat later in 2023, losing almost half their vote and seats from 2020. Since then, Luxon and his National-led government have worked hard to undo even more of the Ardern legacy. Gone are the often absurd efforts to incorporate Maori tradition into modern governance and science. Punitive taxes on cars and fuel have been abolished. Spending is falling (slower than some might like, but the country is on track to balance the books) and taxes are lower.
But fundamentally the difference is one of mindset. Ardern’s government represented the nadir of the idea that outcomes were less important than intentions. This was exemplified by the idea that having a policy called a “child poverty reduction strategy” and spending large amounts of borrowed money on it was more important than measuring the results. It is interesting that during the six years Labour was in power the yearly benchmarks that the previous government introduced on health, crime, education and economic outcomes were quietly shelved, Ardern preferring to rely on vibes than statistics.
The approach by the hard-headed Luxon could not be more different. Vibes are out, results are in.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/disastrous-leftie-legacy-jacinda-ardern-110635458.html
Mike Davis To Steve Bannon: Recess Is For Kids – The Senate Just Need To Work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEmDLaxLqKY
PDJT orders two nuclear submarines to be moved near Russia after threat-vibe remarks from Medvedev
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114954549017557270
Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it will shut down after Congress cut money
Currently, the CPB helps support more than 1,500 locally owned NPR and PBS member stations.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will begin shutting down, weeks after Congress canceled previously approved funding for the nation's steward of public media access.
The CPB said in a statement that it will begin an "orderly wind-down" of its operations after nearly 60 years with the support of the federal government.
It said that most staff positions will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. A small team of employees will remain through January 2026, it added. It did not specify how many people in total were being laid off.
"Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations," the corporation's president and CEO, Patricia Harrison, said in a statement. "CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care."
The announcement comes less than a month after Congress passed a package of spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump that included stripping $1.1 billion in funding for the CPB.
The Trump administration has maintained that the CPB should be stripped of funding despite objections from some Republican lawmakers whose districts include rural areas that rely on the local outlets.
The administration has repeatedly accused NPR and PBS of liberal bias, which the organizations have repeatedly denied.
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said.
Currently, the CPB helps support more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations.
Some of the most revered national PBS and NPR programs are expected to remain on the air thanks to other sources of funding.
Katherine Maher, president & CEO of NPR, said in a statement that NPR would support locally owned, nonprofit stations across the U.S. and “working to maintain public media’s promise of universal service.”
She characterized the CPB "as a vital source of funding for local stations, a champion of educational and cultural programming, and a bulwark for independent journalism." Maher called its closure "an immediate consequence" of the spending cuts.
Maher said the CPB "upheld the core values of the Public Broadcasting Act" and said it allowed stations like NPR to "deliver essential news and culture across the nation."
"The ripple effects of this closure will be felt across every public media organization and, more importantly, in every community across the country that relies on public broadcasting," Maher said.
PBS did not immediately return requests for comment.
Shortly after Congress passed the cuts, NPR called the move an “irreversible loss.”
“If a station doesn’t survive this sudden turn by Congress, a vital stitch in our American fabric will be gone for good,” it said.
Days later, NPR announced that its editor-in-chief and senior vice president, Edith Chapin, had stepped down.
In the days after the cuts were finalized, "PBS Newshour" posted a statement on X saying the program "is not going anywhere."
"We will continue our work without fear or favor, as we have for nearly five decades on the air," it said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/cpb-funder-npr-pbs-says-will-shut-congress-cuts-money-rcna222524
16 states beg Supreme Court to save DEI programming
Two groups of plaintiffs seeking to stop the National Institutes of Health from terminating $783 million in grants urged the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon to leave in place a ruling by a federal judge in Massachusetts that requires the federal government to continue making the grant payments. Lawyers for a group of 16 states, led by Massachusetts, told the justices that the termination of the grants “caused unrecoverable loss of scientific knowledge,” while lawyers for a group of private plaintiffs, led by the American Public Health Association, echoed that sentiment, arguing that “[e]ven a brief stay would invalidate” projects for which funding had already been allocated, “inflicting incalculable losses in public health and human life because of delays in bringing the fruits of” their research “to Americans who desperately await clinical advancements.”
The dispute has its roots in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump shortly after his inauguration on Jan. 20. The order, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” instructed the “Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), assisted by the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management,” to “coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government.” The order also commanded federal agency heads to “terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all … ‘equity-related’ grants or contracts” within 60 days. Two other executive orders – titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” – followed that order.
In the wake of those orders, NIH – which is the largest public funding source for biomedical research in the world – terminated hundreds of grants it linked to DEI-related studies. The group of 16 states, whose public universities receive funding from NIH, went to federal court in Massachusetts, as did a group comprised of the APHA, individual researchers, a union, and a reproductive health advocacy group. They contended that the termination of the grants violated both the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act, the federal law governing administrative agencies.
Considering both cases together, U.S. District Judge William Young agreed that the grant terminations violated the APA. Young explained that although “a new administration certainly is entitled to make changes — even unpopular or unwise changes” – it cannot “undertake actions that are not reasonable and not reasonably explained.” And NIH cannot meet this bar, he said, because “there is no reasoned decision-making at all with respect to the NIH’s ‘abruptness’ in the ‘robotic rollout’ of this grant-termination action.”
U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer came to the Supreme Court on July 24, asking the justices to intervene and put Young’s order on hold after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit declined to do so. Sauer pointed to an earlier order on the court’s emergency docket in which the justices granted a request by the Department of Education to temporarily stop the payment of millions of dollars in teacher-training grants that included funding for DEI initiatives. The Supreme Court in that case agreed that the government is likely to show that another federal judge in Massachusetts lacked the power to instruct the government to make the payments. Instead, the majority emphasized, lawsuits arising from contracts with the United States should be brought in a different court, the Court of Federal Claims, located in Washington, D.C.
In their response briefs, filed on Friday, both the states and the private plaintiffs urged the Supreme Court to leave Young’s order in place. Their case, they emphasized, is different from the case in which the justices allowed the Department of Education to stop payments for teacher-training grants. Among other things, the private plaintiffs noted, they “have not represented and cannot ‘represent in this litigation that they have the financial wherewithal to’” make up for the lost NIH funding.
There is also no reason for their case to be in the Court of Federal Claims instead of the district court, they continued, because they are challenging final actions by the NIH under the APA – specifically, the directives that led to the grant terminations – rather than the grant terminations themselves. According to the states, NIH itself conceded that those directives “memorialized a ‘uniform policy’ with ‘global[]’ application antecedent to, and independent of, any specific NIH grant or application.”
At bottom, the challengers contended, the directives violate the APA because they are arbitrary and capricious – that is, not reasonable and reasonably explained. NIH cannot meet this low bar, the challengers wrote, because NIH did not provide any real explanation for the decision to terminate the grants. “As the district court found,” the states said, “nothing backed up the directives’ conclusory assertions: the certified record consists almost entirely of the directives themselves and boilerplate letters parroting the directives,” and there is nothing to explain what constitutes a banned “DEI study.”
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/08/groups-ask-justices-to-leave-order-in-place-requiring-trump-administration-to-fund-studies-linked-to-dei-initiatives/
Senate passes first funding package ahead of shutdown cliff
The Senate passed its first three spending bills Friday, taking swift action after leaders struck a bipartisan agreement to package the bills together earlier in the day.
The chamber voted 87-9 to pass a two-bill package to fund the departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, along with military construction and the Food and Drug Administration. In a separate 81-15 vote they also passed a third bill to fund Congress itself.
With federal cash set to dry up at the end of September, the Senate’s minibus would do nothing to stave off a government shutdown that could potentially hobble federal agencies in October. But Senate leaders still want to move that package through with the goal of gaining leverage in the broader spending talks with the House and President Donald Trump.
“It’s taken a great deal of work, good faith and negotiation to get to this point,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine). “Congress has a responsibility, a constitutional responsibility under Article I, for the power of the purse. We are executing that responsibility.”
The package would provide almost $154 billion for military construction and veterans programs. It would send more than $27 billion to the Agriculture department and FDA. Both represent a roughly 2 percent boost over current levels.
The Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Jeff Merkley, an appropriator and the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, that would bar the rescission, or clawback, of funds in the bill by the White House. Democrats are worried that the administration will send another rescissions package ahead of the fall funding deadline, which would likely implode any hopes of getting a larger funding deal.
Still, Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, defended the smaller deal reached among senators, saying that the package “rejects damaging cuts from Trump and House Republicans.”
The Senate adopted by voice vote an amendment from Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California that would bar the use of any funds in the bill to reduce services provided by the Veterans Crisis Line.
Senators rejected other amendments from Democrats including one that would have halted funding of the Agriculture Department reorganization and another to require a report on staffing reductions at the VA.
They also rejected amendments from Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) that would have made deeper cuts to the Agriculture-FDA bill.
The chamber also voted 75-21 to reject a proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin that would bar lawmakers from taking credit for earmarks. It would require the funding to be revoked if a lawmaker were to ever tout their earmarks in interviews, mailings, speeches or even on the campaign trail.
The separate vote on the Legislative Branch measure was part of a side deal struck with Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who objected to the amount of spending in the $7.1 billion bill and demanded the chance to vote against it separately. It is the smallest of the 12 annual spending bills.
“I think we need to set an example,” Kennedy said on the floor ahead of the vote.
The Legislative Branch bill will be combined with the two-bill package and sent to the House as a bundle under the bipartisan agreement laid out by Collins earlier Friday.
The Senate’s progress is a U-turn from just Thursday night when tensions were running high after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) blocked the ability to bring up a four-bill package that would have incorporated funding for the Justice and Commerce departments as well as other agencies.
Van Hollen blocked funding of the DOJ bill because of a stalemate that developed after the Trump administration backtracked earlier this year from a years-long process that would have moved FBI headquarters to Maryland. The Senate punted the Justice-Commerce funding bill until after the August recess.
Congress will ultimately have to consider a continuing resolution that wards off a shutdown on Oct. 1 and buys more time for bicameral, bipartisan talks on a government funding deal for the coming fiscal year.
Some House lawmakers are angling for another lengthy stopgap, while Senate leadership is hoping to get some full-year bills to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature before the shutdown deadline. That would let them have parts of the government funded for fiscal 2026, while running the rest of the government on a short-term spending patch.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/01/senate-passes-first-funding-package-ahead-of-september-shutdown-cliff-00489731
House to delay Ghislaine Maxwell testimony until after Supreme Court considers case
The scheduled congressional deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell, a co-conspirator of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is indefinitely postponed, House Oversight Chair James Comer said Friday.
In a letter to Maxwell, Comer said he would agree to delay the meeting after her lawyers earlier this week requested a postponement in the planned Aug. 11 testimony citing a pending Supreme Court petition regarding her case.
Maxwell’s attorneys also made a number of requests in order to facilitate her cooperation with the Oversight panel’s questioning — some of which Comer rejected outright Friday.
Comer said his committee was “willing to continue to engage in good faith negotiations” but would not grant her congressional immunity, which her lawyers had requested. The committee, he added, also would not send her team the questions in advance, another demand of Maxwell’s lawyers.
“Your testimony is vital to the Committee’s efforts regarding Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, including the 2007 non-prosecution agreement and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein’s death,” Comer wrote.
But he agreed to delay the interview until after the Supreme Court rules on her appeal, which claims that her 2021 sex trafficking conviction was barred by Epstein’s earlier plea deal. That’s not likely to happen before the court begins its annual term in October.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/08/01/congress/maxwell-hearing-postponed-00489019
Fox News
@FoxNews
President Trump says he would be willing to cut the check to pay for the new White House ballroom.
REPORTER: "How many donors to get to $200M?"
TRUMP: "Maybe one: Me."
https://x.com/FoxNews/status/1951393572894191707
Jason Cohen 🇺🇸
@JasonJournoDC
🚨NEW: CNN's Harry Enten says "DEMOCRATIC BRAND IS IN THE BASEMENT"🚨
"It is total and complete garbage in the mind of the American public."
https://x.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1951286424210120773
Charlie Kirk
@charliekirk11
White House Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt SLAMS the press corps for refusing to cover the newly declassified Russia Collusion Hoax bombshells:
"This should be a story every outlet in this room should be covering. This is further evidence that Hillary Clinton approved the Russia Hoax against POTUS … and the FBI and the CIA were both weaponized to accelerate this hoax."
https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1950981513799209011
Newly Declassified Appendix to Durham Report Sheds Additional Light on Clinton Campaign Plan to Falsely Tie Trump to Russia and FBI’s Failure to Investigate
Key Highlights:
-Durham Annex Released: Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) declassifies the appendix to the 2023 Durham Report.
-Clinton Campaign Allegations: Intelligence from 2016 suggests the Clinton campaign planned to falsely link Trump to Russia.
-FBI Inaction: Despite receiving intelligence, the FBI under James Comey failed to investigate the Clinton plan.
-Steele Dossier Role: The FBI used the Clinton-funded Steele Dossier to obtain FISA warrants on Trump associate Carter Page.
-Benardo Emails: Purported emails from Soros Foundation VP Leonard Benardo detail a media strategy to smear Trump using FBI-linked firms like Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect.
-Obama Admin Briefed: CIA Director Brennan briefed Obama, Biden, and others on the Clinton plan in August 2016.
-CIA Assessment: The CIA did not consider the intelligence to be Russian disinformation.
-FISA Abuse: FBI provided false info to the FISA court and treated Trump and Clinton unequally in surveillance and briefings.
Grassley’s Statement:
“History will show that the Obama and Biden administration’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies were weaponized against President Trump… one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.”
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/newly-declassified-appendix-to-durham-report-sheds-additional-light-on-clinton-campaign-plan-to-falsely-tie-trump-to-russia-and-fbis-failure-to-investigate
Gutfeld: If Fallon wants to do this, I WILL NOT complain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09o0KwJVgkw